Loons Point, Sabbathday Lake, ca. 1915

Description

The caption "As God Planned It," was placed on this photo of Loons Point, Sabbathday Lake, by Shaker Elder Delmer Wilson, who took thousands of photos of the Shaker Village area and people.

For other members of the community, the lake was a timeless, unchanging reference point. This sentiment is eloquently expressed in the following verses from a poem by Sister Aurelia Mace:

The years rolled by, the village grew
The mighty forests fell.
You saw the steeple rise afar,
You heard the Sabbath bell.
You heard the whistle of the train
Upon its iron rails.
The wilderness was all aglow
Along the hills and dales.
O lovely lake, I walk thy shores,
This calm midsummer day,
And muse on wonders thus hast seen
In ages passed away.